| June 7, 2003 | Saturday | Rabi-us-Sani 6, 1424 |
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Keenjhar lake tragedy
Muslim world and Ptolemy theory
Working of property tax department
Homoeopathic drugs
Lack of streetlights
Referendum on LFO
Rethinking Kashmir
Madar-i-Millat Award
Form of govt
Correction
Cut in NSS profit rates
RASHEED ASGHAR
SHELTER is the basic need of every citizen and fortunate is he who sleeps under his own roof. No doubt, the government has recently initiated various measures to solve this problem, but the performance of cooperative housing societies in this regard, barring some exceptions, has been disappointing. The reason being that these societies are often organized not to solve the basic problem of housing in an honest and genuine manner, but to serve the interest of a few persons (sponsors, ad hoc committees, managing bodies, etc) who do not miss the opportunity to conclude initial deals of land at higher prices and award development work contracts to parties of their choice.
However, a semblance of transparency is given by appointment of committees for various purposes by these people. In fact, these committees just have to work according to pre-decided assignments and everything is done so transparently that you can even read what is otherwise not visible! So greed is the motivating factor which is largely responsible for the mushroom growth of the cooperative housing societies all over Lahore, many of whom are incomplete, abandoned or have met their death owing to the paucity of funds.
Later, one or two such schemes catch the attention of big investors. They start lifting plots at cheap rates and when the process is complete, the managing committees in mutual benefit with investors activate the development works and introduce various facilities. As a result, the prices of plots shoot up to the advantage of the investors and their associates but go beyond the capacity of a genuine buyer who is in need of a shelter. Therefore, the above collusion of interests has given rise to the business of plots, rather than solving the basic problem of housing. This is evident from the census of June 2000, which still shows a shortage of 20 per cent or 1.3 million units in urban Pakistan.
It is time the government paid immediate attention to this problem and the departments/ agencies concerned, particularly the cooperatives department, were directed to report all lapses or irregularities on the part of these societies. In the meantime, the following suggestions are made for consideration and implementation at appropriate level:
1. A special audit of all cooperative housing societies covering the last five years be conducted and if significant irregularities are detected, it should cover another five years.
2. Normal annual audits up to June 30, 2002, should be finalized immediately and a compliance report in respect of outstanding audit observations be obtained.
3. Managing committees should be elected only for two years and no office-bearer should be eligible for the second term. Elections must be held on time.
4. The cooperative department should ensure that all rules and regulations and by-laws which restrain members of the managing committees from obtaining any pecuniary benefit, direct or indirect, are strictly observed. Violators, if any, should be punished.
5. Cooperative housing societies should be asked to submit lists of vacant plots. The cooperative department should arrange open auction of such plots and the sale proceeds be credited to the respective societies.
6. No society should be allowed to start its next phase unless the existing phase is complete, and a certificate about this is obtained from the concerned agency.
7. A housing society must submit a financial plan with sources of finance before seeking approval of a particular scheme. It must also stipulate the period of completion.
8. All societies must periodically submit to the cooperative department a list of the defaulters categorized into land cost, development charges, fines and penalties. It is understood that millions of rupees are outstanding against members and with the passage of time these amounts may be written off.
Lahore
THE Keenjhar lake tragedy claimed the lives of 26 picnickers, mostly women and minor children.
Earlier several incidents of drowning and loss of lives had occurred here.
The Keenjhar is one of the biggest lakes of Asia. It is the main source of water supply to Karachi and also caters to the needs of irrigation water supply to almost half of the Thatta district.
It appears that owing to water supply to Karachi the lake is owned by Karachi Water & Sewerage Board that controls its supply canals. Then irrigation department also owns it owing to its control over agricultural water supply system.
The lake is also owned by the fisheries department that takes away the income from fishing contracts. Then the lake is owned by the Sindh Tourism Department that collects money from tourists and visitors. Of course, the district administration has to look after the law and order problem and general administration.
All departments which claim their rights over the lake earn money out of it. But none has taken the responsibility of its development, beautification and, above all, safety and security measures. Thousands of visitors throng the lake, specially on Sundays and holidays. They have to pay gate money, rent for huts and spend in hotels, motels and other entertainment. It is an irony that there is not even a first-aid post at the lake. There are no lifeboats, no lifeguards, no life-jackets and no rescue equipment.
There is no official divers posted at the lake. Local boatmen and fishermen always recover the victims. Even when any ill-fated victim is fished out, he has no first aid, such as oxygen, suction, life-saving drugs and cardiac massage for his recovery. By the time he is shifted to the civil hospital, Thatta, about 20 miles away, he breathes his last.
Another fact is that the lake is filled with grass and weeds called narrho. This entangles the victim at the bottom. There has been no cleaning and dredging of the lake for years.
Only last month the Sindh minister for culture and tourism visited the lake and issued statements about owning the lakes and promised development and facilities over there. Perhaps he has taken the responsibility and announced compensation amounts for the victims.
The issuance of condolence statements and payment of compensation money to the victims has been a routine. Now the politicians and the people in power may visit the victims’ families. But the real problem is on-the-spot development of the lake and provision of facilities over there. Who will accomplish this task now?
DR MUMTAZ AHMED UQAILI
Thatta
WITH reference to Mr Manzoor Husain Kureishi’s letter headlined “Did Muslim world accept Ptolemy theory?” (May 30), I would like to add that Muslim astronomers not only corrected the said theory but were the precursors of the sun-centred Copernicus theory.
In this connection, probably the first scientist was, just before Omar Khayyam, Al Biruni. Abu Rehan Muhammad Ibn Ahmad alias Al Biruni, latinized as Aliboron, was a mathematician, astronomer, physicist, physician, geographer and historian. His paramount work in mathematics is Qanun Al Masudi, and his other popular book, still widely read, is Tarikh Al Hind.
The German writer, Sigrid Hunke, in a book The Sun of Allah Shines on the Occident: Our Arab Heritage, Albin Michel, Paris, 1963, writes: “Five centuries before Copernicus, he conceived the theory, which remained unperceived that the earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun.”
With the decline of the Muslim civilization, most of their scientific works remained buried in the libraries and were unheeded, and only since the second half of the 20th century, western scholarship is rediscovering and, at last, making a sincere critical appreciation.
MUSTAYEEN AHMEd KHAN
Brumath, France
THE property tax in respect of my office, situated at A. M. B. 2/16 M/FM-4 Office No. M-4, was Rs2,460. Now the excise and taxation officer, “F” Division, Karachi, has increased the property tax to Rs6,048 without inviting any objections for reassessment under section 9 of Sindh Immovable Property Tax Act, 1958. The increase is 300 per cent which is excessive, illegal and disproportionate.
I have not received any proposed assessment notices to which I would have filed objections. There is an unethical tendency on the part of the aforesaid department not to serve property tax challans regularly on the assessees and burden them with accumulated arrears. It was expected from a democratic regime that it would not have caused such a heavy burden to the owners of small offices by raising the tax exorbitantly at one go; but it appears that tax bureaucracy is bent upon creating public resentment and discontent.
I appeal to the governor to hold an inquiry into such an excessive jump in property tax and to reduce the increase in the property tax to a reasonable limit by 20 per cent, which is usual in such cases.
ABDUL SAEED KHAN GHORI
Karachi
THE homoeopathic industry has largely enjoyed a laissez-faire regulatory approach by the government. This has led to the flooding of the market with all types of substandard drugs under the label of homoeopathic medicine through deceptive promotion and advertisement. Most of such drugs contain non-homoeopathic ingredients and some are not manufactured in accordance with the principles of homoeopathic pharmacy. Even there have been reports in the press about homoeopathic drugs being mixed with steroids and other allopathic drugs.
Currently, we do not have a law to provide guidance on the regulation of homoeopathic drugs and to delineate the conditions under which homoeopathic drugs may ordinarily be marketed in Pakistan. The Unani, Ayurvedic and Homoeopathic Practitioners’ Act, 1965, does not cover the aspects relating to the manufacture, import, promotion, advertisement, sale, stocking, distribution, standardization and pricing of homoeopathic medicines. As a result, there is no check over the standard of the drugs being marketed, nor are the homoeopathic drugs subjected to laboratory testing before their release for distribution to ascertain if steroids or other allopathic drugs have not been mixed with them.
In order to protect the health, safety and rights of the users, it is essential that there should be a law to regulate the quality and standard of homoeopathic medicines. Homoeopathic medicines must meet the standards for strength, quality, and purity as set forth in the Pakistan Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia. For homoeopathic remedies to be safe and effective, and to conform to the requirements of good manufacturing practice, it is essential that they are produced in accordance with the principles of homoeopathic pharmacy, as contained in the Organon of Medicine and the Chronic Diseases of Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy.
There is a need to make legislation with a view to ensuring efficacy, safety and quality of homoeopathic drugs sold in the market. The law should provide for compliance with good manufacturing practice by the manufacturers for fixing the drug prices and for the regulation of imports, exports and registration and sale of the drugs.
AHMAD FAKIR MUHAMMAD
Karachi
THIS is to draw your attention to the problem which the residents of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Block 13-B, are facing these days. This is a residential area where a large number of houses and coaching centres are located. It needs adequate lighting arrangement but, unfortunately, the city government authorities pay little attention to it.
As a result, the roads of this area are plunged into darkness soon after sunset. There is only a few streetlamps. Women and children are afraid to go out after dusk, as thieves and robbers take advantage of the situation.
I hope the city government will give immediate attention to this crying need of the inhabitants of this area.
SUMERA AYUB MEMON
Karachi
MEMBERS of the National Assembly from the opposition are demanding that the LFO should be withdrawn and President Pervez Musharraf should either relinquish the post of COAS, or resign from presidentship of the country. It seems that the committee set up to resolve the issue has failed to achieve success.
The opposition has no justification for raising the matter now when they contested the election under the LFO while the president was in uniform. However, to end the impasse this issue be put to referendum.
MOHAMMAD RAFI
Karachi
I READ with great interest Prof Mukthar Ali Naqvi’s rebuttal (May 17) to Prof Hoodbhoy’s article in Dawn.
Unfortunately, Prof Naqvi seems to have got his facts all wrong. India’s exports crossed $50 billion recently, while its imports crossed $56 billion. While this trade deficit is close to Prof Naqvi’s figure of $8billion, he conveniently glosses over the fact that India has a current account surplus — by which the forex inflow was more than the services imports, which also explains its burgeoning forex reserves.
A careful reader would observe that in the duration between Dr Hoodbhoy’s article and this letter, India’s forex reserves have gone up by $6 billion, all without any form of foreign aid.
Prof Naqvi is again wrong when he says that companies like INFY are suffering losses. What has happened is that the margins have reduced from over 50 per cent to somewhere around 10-12 per cent, a more realistic figure, considering the slowdown in the industry. At the same time, Prof Naqvi ignores the huge outcry over outsourcing to India, in the US and the UK, caused by companies like Intel, Accenture and IBM shifting their software development to India. Incidentally, when was the last time a computer major shifted its operations to Pakistan?
My intention is not to say that India is heaven. Surely, India has too many problems that need to be resolved — poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, population, communalism, just to name a few. The same problems plague Pakistan as well. So, the need of the hour is not one-upmanship — as Prof Naqvi has unfortunately tried to do, but statesmanship, as displayed by the prime ministers of India and Pakistan.
GOPAL SRINIVASA
Raleigh, NC, USA
THIS refers to Mr M. Tauseef Khan’s letter (May 28) regarding the Madar-i-Millat Award. I have failed to understand his objection to giving the award to women only.
Women constitute half of the country’s population and no doubt they should be effectively represented and honoured for their contribution to nation-building activities. Conferring this award solely on them will not only encourage brilliant women but also motivate other career-oriented women.
Moreover, giving remunerations like these and running educational institutions in the name of “notable women personalities” was a common practice in the past as well. We have the Anne Marie Schimmel Scholarship Award, and Fatima Jinnah Medical College and the Fatima Jinnah Women’s University as examples.
NAEEMA HALIM
Lahore
THE articles by Mr Kunwar Idris and Mr Zia-ul-Islam on the presidential system of government are thought-provoking.
The pros of presidential form seem to outweigh the cons quite heavily. It would be smoother in functioning, comparatively economical, obviate frequent dissolution of assemblies, do away with horse-trading in the parliament and minimize corruption.
Mr Jinnah is also reported to have shown preference for presidential form. Perhaps, this is a fit case for a national referendum.
YUSUF ALI
Karachi
A PRINTING error occurred in the fourth paragraph of my article “When mediamen met in Dhaka” (Dawn June 6), changing Bangladesh President Iajuddin’s name to read Tajuddin.
M. H. ASKARI
Karachi
PENSIONERS, widows and senior citizens are in a fix since the rates of return have been reduced by the government on special savings certificates and defence saving certificates because it has become very difficult for them to meet their daily expenses.
Moreover, as Mr Sultan Ahmed in his recent article has stated: “The IMF is insisting that the interest rate on the National Savings Schemes should be brought at par with the interest rates of the Pakistan Investment Bonds which is around 5 per cent instead of a 10.5 per cent promised for a new savings scheme. In addition, the IMF has been insisting that the tax exemption on interest earnings on the NSS should be withdrawn so as to bring it in line with other debt instruments.” If unfortunately this happens, the owners of the NSS would not be able to make both ends meet.
No doubt the government is also helpless because the lending mark-up is being reduced every now and then by the lending institutions and as such financial institutions have also reduced the rates of profit on term deposits. On the other hand, if the government does not reduce profit on the NSS and continues to retain the old or existing yield on these NSS, the domestic debts of the country will go on increasing, which in the long run will be harmful not only for the government but also for the citizens of Pakistan, i.e. its burden will ultimately be borne by the taxpayers or the country-fellows.
Having been placed in this situation, our finance minister is trying to find a remedy through which the holders of the NSS may not suffer and along with it the financial burden may not fall on the resources of the government. I do not know what via-media is being contemplated by the finance minister about it, but since an idea has clicked in my mind for its solution, I have decided to share it with your readers as well as our government.
To arrest this erosion of pensioners’ and widows’ investment, it is suggested that since the above persons are without any prop except the yield of their investments, they should be compensated for the difference that would occur on account of the reduction of profit on the NSS either from the funds of Baitul Mal or Zakat. Those who come under the ambit of Zakat (i.e. who are not Sahib-i-Nisab) should be compensated from the Zakat fund for the loss of return suffered owing to reduction in the rate of profit; and those who do not qualify for compensation from the Zakat fund should be recompensed from the Baitul Mal.
These two funds are being run by the government for the needy and deserving people. Pensioners, widows and senior citizens do fall under this category. In this way, the domestic debt of the government would not increase and the deserving people would also not suffer on account of reduction in the rate of profit. Moreover, this arrangement would not affect the self-respect of the senior citizens. It is hoped that our finance minister will consider this suggestion.
M. A. CHISHTI
Karachi
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